Letting Go
by Kristen3
Summary: Sequel/companion to "The Mother of All Problems" by carylfan10. Niles and Daphne have already made amends for the pain they've caused one another, but still Niles can not get past the guilt he feels for hurting the love of his life. Rating is for obvious reasons. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **I loved Melinda (carylfan10)'s story "Mother of All Problems." I always enjoy stories about N/D's married life and family. But I felt that the ending could have gone just a bit farther, so I decided to do something about it. This is what I've come up with, and I hope it lives up to the original.

After their long-delayed session of lovemaking, Niles and Daphne both fell asleep. For once, they were both happy and peaceful as they lay in bed. It was the best night's sleep either of them had gotten in months. But sometime in the middle of the night, Niles awoke. He looked over at Daphne, lying there next to him. He reached over and stroked her long hair. He knew he would never understand how he could've become so blind to how beautiful she was. There had been a time, not so long ago, when he could hardly breathe when she entered the room. He knew he had treated her horribly lately, and this one night was not nearly enough to make up for it. Suddenly, he had an idea. He crept out of bed, and, as quietly as he could, made his way downstairs to his study.

When he reached his home office, Niles went straight to his laptop. In almost no time, he'd made hotel reservations for the two of them. He'd spared no expense, getting them the luxury suite for five whole days. Sure, his patients might be inconvenienced, but their welfare could never come before his marriage. He'd made that mistake once already. When he'd finished what he had to do, he returned to bed, grateful when he saw that Daphne hadn't even moved while he was gone.

Hours later, Daphne woke, smiling. How long had it been since she'd been sure, _really_ sure, that Niles loved her in every possible way? She let out a contented sigh. The next thing she knew, Niles was kissing her. "Good morning, my love."

Daphne returned the kiss, hoping to continue where they'd left off last night. But to her surprise, Niles pulled away. "Niles, I thought we'd settled this. You can't just go back to shutting me out again!"

Niles' heart broke at the hurt in his wife's eyes. He caressed her soft cheek. "I would never put you through that kind of pain again. I just think we need to call Dad and Ronee."

When Daphne glanced at the alarm clock and saw what time it was, she couldn't believe it. "Niles, you know your father's not up at this hour! I'm sure they don't mind keeping David until at least this afternoon."

"Actually, I was planning to ask if they could keep him a bit longer than that. Like...for the next five days."

Daphne looked at him in disbelief. "What are you saying?"

"I got up in the middle of the night, and it occurred to me that I need to find a way to make it up to you...let you know that I still find you as attractive and desirable as I did the first moment I saw you."

Overcome with excitement, Daphne threw her arms around him. "Oh, Niles! What did you do?"

Niles took a moment to place several kisses down her neckline before answering. "Oh, nothing much. Just got us a luxury suite at a four-star hotel. I'm told there's a great view, but I don't think either of us will have much time for that!"

Daphne couldn't believe this. This man who, just days ago, had barely spoken a word to her, now wanted to give her his undivided attention for five days! She thought back to her honeymoon. After all the stress of their multiple weddings, not to mention the drama with Mel and Donny, it had been a chance to finally give in to their feelings. Back then, Daphne had naively thought that was how their marriage would always be. But, sadly, work and motherhood had gotten in the way. Because of their history, Daphne had thought they would be immune to such troubles. Now she understood that she couldn't take one second with him for granted. "Thank you, Niles," she whispered.

"My love, it is I who must thank you. You saved my life more than once, and I am ashamed of the way I've repaid you. This trip is just my way of making up for what I've done, although I'm sure I'll still regret it as long as I live."

Daphne kissed him. The last thing she wanted was for him to spend their entire romantic getaway analyzing all the reasons he had failed. Yes, he'd made mistakes. And Daphne had no problem admitting that she had probably crossed a few lines herself. But none of that mattered, because it was all in the past. "My darling, you can't keep doing this, beating yourself up. I've already forgiven you. I was never really serious about wanting to leave. Even Donny noticed it when I went to see him. I was really just frustrated and desperate to find a way to get your attention."

"I know that, my love. And you've gotten it. You're absolutely right. I just never want to forget how it felt when I realized you were hurting, and that it was my fault."

"I have a feeling if this problem ever happens again, we'll be able to recognize it and work it out long before it ever gets that bad. You have to trust me when I say that it's all right. We can move on now."

For most of his life, Niles was used to having constant reminders of his failures. Maris had made sure he knew every single time he'd disappointed her. And Mel was likewise quick to let him know how she felt. But this was different. Daphne loved him enough to understand that he was human. He was no longer being held to some impossible standard. That realization made him love his wife even more than he'd ever believed possible. He caressed her cheek, then began kissing her once again. Before long, they'd given in to their passions for a second time.

Motherhood, Niles realized later, had done wonderful things for Daphne. Now that he knew she was more than capable of being both a wife _and_ a mother, perhaps it was time to start thinking of expanding their family. What better way to start, than a second honeymoon?

**The End**


End file.
